Soda-water fountain



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. B. MOWER. SODA WATER FOUNTAIN.

Patented May 10,1898.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. B. MOWER. 3013A WATER FOUNTAIN.

Patented May 10,1898.

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ran 'IATES EUGENE l3. MOI/VER, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

SODA-WATER FOUNTAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,856, dated May 10, 1898.. Application filed January 25, 1897- Serial No. 620,600. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EUGENE B. MOWER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Soda-Water Fountains; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to fountains for dispensing soda-water and other beverages, and has for its object to improve certain features of the construction with a view of increased efficiency and convenience.

To these ends my invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices, which will be hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like notations refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a vertical section from front to rear through part of a fountain equipped with myimprovements with the syrup-can shown in its innermost or working position. Fig. 2

is a similar view, some parts being broken away and others removed, with the syrup-can shown in its outermost or filling position. Figs. 3 and a are respectively rear and front elevations of the can detached, with some parts removed. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are details illustrating my improved rigid coupling which I use as part of the draft device.

The parts marked with the numerals 1 to 12, inclusive, are of the ordinary standard construction used in dispensing-fountains, and for the purposes of this case do not require detailed consideration.

My improvements relate to the means for supporting and handling the syrup-can 13 and to a pipe-coupling constituting part of the draft device 14.

For the syrup-can 13 I provide an overhead or top support on which the can is free to travel to and fro from its filling to its Working position or reversely. As shown, the supports for the series of syrup-cans are in the form of bracket-arms a, which are secured by bolts or otherwise to a common angle-iron plate I), fixed to the ledge-plate 4 and the end plates 7 of the cooler.

The can 13 is suspended from said support a by means of a hanger a, secured to the back of the can and embracing the supporting-arm a. The hanger a is shown.as provided with an antifrictionroller a which rides on the face or upper surface of the said arm a. The arm a is of hook shape at its outer end, with the bearingsurface a of the hook slightly depressed in respect to the plane or bearing surface of the body of the arm. This is to permit the roller a to drop into the depression a of the hook when the can is in its outermost position for holding the can at that point against movement in either direction under the action of gravity. The can-supporting hanger a is pivoted to the journals of the roller 0 and hence when the can is in its outermost position with the roller a in the depression a of the arm-hook the can is free to tilt and drop downward onto the cross-bar or ledge 11, as

. shown in Fig. 2, therebybringing the can into the most convenient position for filling.

The arm Ct is also provided with a depression a near its, rear end, into which the roller a drops whenthe can is in its innermost or filling position for causing the weight of the can to cooporate with the lock-lugs c c on the can face-plate 15 for holding the can in its innermost or working position, as shown in. Fig. 1. When in said working position, as shown in Fig. 1, the lower lug c engages over the inner edge of the cross-bar 11 and the upper lug c engages over a plate 16, having notches c for the entrance of the lugs c. The face-plate 1 of the fountain is also cut away, as shown at 0 to afford clearance for the lug 0. Hence when the can 13 is in the position shown in Fig. 1 the weight of the same will be carried at the front by the lugs c c, in cooperation with the bar 11 and the plate 16, while at the rear the Weight of the can will be supported from the arm a, with the roller a? in the depression a. the can in its innermost or working position, as shown in Fig. 1. With this improved construction for supporting the can it is obvious that the can is rendered easy and light to handle in moving the same to and fro from its filling to its working position. It is also obvious that the construction for the purpose is an extremely simple and cheap one.

To withdraw the can from its-working position, it is only necessary to raise the outer end of the same until the lugs c c are disengaged from their cooperating bars 11 and 16 and then lower the outer end of the can, when, under the action of gravity, the can will move outward into its filling position. the can from its fillin g to its working position, it is only necessary to raise the outer end of the can and push the same back on its support until the lugs c c are made to engage over the said bars 11 and 16.

Turning now to the other feature of my improvement, the draft device 14 is provided with a rigid pipe-coupling which is made up of a pair of pipe-sections f f and a lock-nut f The two pipe-sections f and f unite with half-lap joints and are cut on their exteriors to form a continuous screwthread when united. Hence the nutf working on the united pipe-sections f f will tend to draw the same together, so as to insure a tight joint, and the fact that the two pipesections lap insures a rigid joint. The pipesection f is provided with a flange f and is adapted to engage with the inner surface of the front wall of the can. The nut f is provided with a flange f adapted to engage with the face-surface of the front wall of the can. The can 13 is provided with a depression f in its bottom wall, directly adjacent to the holes therein, for the application of the draft device. The pipe-section f is inserted into place from within the can. The other portion of the draft device 14, with the pipe-section f having the nut f thereon, is then applied to the section f from the exterior of the can. The nut f is then tightened, with the effect of clamping the draft device to the can by a perfectly tight and rigid joint, as shown in Fig. 1. After the draft device has been applied to the can, as above described, the depressed portion in the bottom wall of the can is filled up with cementf as shown in Fig. 1, with the effect of securing a continuous plane for the flow of the liquid directly to the bore of the draftpipe.

By actual usage I have demonstrated the practicability and efficiency of both features of my invention for the purposes had in view.

To return It will be understood that in the broad point of view I do not limit myself to the particular form of overhead or top support for the syrup-can shown in the drawings. The said top support for the can may take other forms and nevertheless serve the same function.

It must be obvious that the tilting feature might be dispensed with. The overhead or top support would work equally well if arranged to afford only a straight-line movement for the can. It will also be understood that the rigid pipe-coupling herein disclosed is capable of general use wherever the corresponding function is desired.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. In a dispensing-fountain, the combination with a syrup-can, of an overhead or top support for the can, and a hanger suspending the can from said support, with said parts constructed and arranged to permit the can to travel, on said support, and to permit the can to tilt downward when in its outermost or filling position, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the syrup-can 13, of the overhead or top support a, provided with the outer-end depression a and the inner-end depression a the hanger a, secured to the back of the can and embracing said support, and the roller a secured to said hanger and traveling on said support, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the syrup-can 13, having the hanger a with roller a of the overhead or top support or having the depressions a and a and the face-plate 15 secured to the front wall of the can and provided with the lock-lugs c c, engageable over the plates 11 and 16, substantially as described.

4.. In a dispensing-fountain, the combination with the syrup-can, of a draft device having the parts ff f f f which operate as a rigid pipe-coupling and clamping device for securing the draft device to the can, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

v EUGENE B. MOWER.

Witnesses:

J AS. F. WILLIAMsoN, BEssIE B. NELsoN. 

